Selective sheet-winding mechanism for piano-players.



E. I. WILCOX. SELECTIVE SHEET WINDING MECHANISM FOR PIANO PLAYERS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 28, 1914.

Patented Sept. 8, 1914,

3 SHEETSSHEET l.

i h H I vi: nm 1% 1:1 hN wk R. L WILCOX. SELECTIVE SHEET WINDING MECHANISM FOR PIANO PLAYERS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 28, 1914.

1,1 10,172. Patented Se t. 8, 191-.4,

3 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

Q/Vih wao co R. I. WILGOX.

SELECTIVE SHEET WINDING MECHANISM FOR PIANO PLAYERS. APPLIOK'FION FILED JAN. 28, 1914. "1,1 10, 1 72. Patentgd Sept. 8, 1914.

3 SHEETS SHEBT 3.

'ngnbnnnnuuugnmmmi mn Willlln v Q/Vitneo odo UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

nUssEL'L I. wILoox, or MILWAUKEE, wrsconsm, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF TO ADOLPH HOEFFLER, OE MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

Specification Letters Patent.

Application filed January 28, 1914. Serial No. 814,880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUSSELL I. WILoox, citizen of the United States, residing at Mil- \vaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have .inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Selective Sheetinding Mechanism for Piano-Players, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to automatic or self playing pianos and especially to that type of such instruments in which the action is operated pneumatically, in accordance with a perforated music sheet.

The object of the present invention is primarily to enable any one of a plurality of music sheets to be played by simply setting an indicator- .It is particularly designed for use in coin-controlled pianos installed in public, places, but is not limited to such use, being equally advantageous for house pi- .anos- By means of my invention a very large repertoire can be' provided for. The several pieces of music-are either perforated in series in a single continuous sheet of paper, or separate music rolls are fastened together so as to constitute one continuous roll equal in length to the combined lengths of the-individual rolls or sheets. The mechanism which I have devised operates to run this roll through in one direction or.- the other at a rapid rate of speed untilthe seldcted piece. of music is reached, when the winding mechanism slows down to the proper speed for playing, and stops at the end of the piece. I

Another object of my invention is to provide a regulator which will maintain a constant speed of winding for the music sheet, regardless of the diameter of the take utp drum upon which the sheet is being woun This part of my invention operates without the use of any device resting upon the surface of the paper, which would produce friction and wear.

A further object of my invention is to preventthe edges of the perforated paper music sheet from becoming torn by reason of improper feeding, my invention keeping the sheet in exact alinement at all times and causing it to wind evenly and smoothly upon the receiving drum.

The means by which these results are reached will be best understood from the I following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

in which v Figure ljis a general view of the mechanlsm in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a section of the valve cap for selecting the piece to be played. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the mechanism, in side elevation. Fig. 4? a sectional elevation on the line 4L4, Flg. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan of certain parts, partly-in section, on the line 55, Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation showing the sliding kick-off frame and clutch lever, taken on the line 6 6, Fig. ,3. Fig. 7 shows the connections of the valve cap and relay valve chest, and amodification of the slide valve. Fig. 8 is a portion of one end of the tracker bar. Fig. 9 is a plan of the slide va'lve shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 10 shows the indicating plate used with the slide valve shown in Fig.7, and Fig. 11 shows a fragment of the music sheet.

Patented Sept. 8, 1914.

ago

Machines of this kind are now usually rotating them in opposite directions. By

ans of suitable clutches these last mentloned shafts can be coupled to, the spindles of. two'winding drums 8 9, though not to both at the same time. The multiple music sheet above; mentioned is wound on these two drums, and by throwing in one or the other ofthe clutches this sheet can. be wound forward or backward as the case may be until the desired piece of music is reached.

Interposed between the spindles; of the drums and the shafts 6 7 are chuck. shafts 10 11, which are Ournaled in the outer ends of brackets 12 13 projecting from the upright frame 14 in which the drums are ear ried. The chuck shafts extend through this frame and carry chucks 15 16 in. which are engaged the ends of the spindles of the drums 8 and 9. A knurled rim 16 on each chuck enables the drums to be turned by hand when desired.

The preferred form of clutch which I employ to connect the driving shafts 6 7 with the chuck shafts 10 11 is shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. Rigidly secured on each driving shaft is a hub 17.' The one on shaft 6 has a flange 18 for a purpose hereinafter described. In this hub are two or more longitudinal holes through. which slide pins 19 which are riveted to a collar 20 which is free to slide on the shaft. The outer end of the chuck s l i'aft enters a central hole in the hub 17 and is journaled therein. A collar 21 is secured to the chuck shaft and is provided with lugs 22 on the side toward. the hub 17. When the collar 20 is slid to the left (in Figs. 1 and 3) the pins interlock with the lugs and cause the rotation of the driving shaft to be imparted to the chuck shaft. The two clutch collars 20 are circumferentially groov d at 20 to receive trunnions in the forked ends of T -shapcd clutch lever 23 which is pivoted at 24 at the end of a guide rod 25 projecting from the frame 14. T ension springs 26 are attached at one end to the guide rod and at the other to a pointon the tail 23' of the clutch lever beyond the Divot, as shown. When both clutches are out of engagement with the floating shafts, thev clutch lever stands in its mid position, and the springs lie in the same plane as the pivot, so that they exert no tendency to move the lever. In order to throw the tail 23 of the clutch lever up or down and thus let in one clutch or the other, two bellows 27 28 are provided, each having a finger 29 arranged to strike the end of the tail 23 when said bellows is collapsed, and tilt the clutch lever off its dead center, so that the springs 26 can pull it over sharply and slide the clutch in quickly, The pneumatic control of these two bellows will be described later.

The clutch lever is returned to its mid position at the proper time by means of a kick-off frame 30 which slides on the guide rod 25 and has two arms in each of which is a set screw 31 adapted to bear against the left hand side of the T head of the clutch lever and force it back to its central position. The kick-off frame is itself urged toward the right by a spring 32, but it is positively moved, also, in that direction by a bellows 33 which has a finger 34 arranged to cooperate with a collar 35 on a rod 86 which is pivoted to a lever 37 fulcrumed on the guide rod 25 and connected by a link 38 to the kick-off frame. when this bellows is takes place at the end of the rapid winding of the music sheet from one drum to the other, and at the instant that the selected piece of music has been reached. Thereafter the drums are to be driven at the slow speed required for playing, and the mechanism for accomplishing this will now be described. At the left hand end of the kick-off frame 30 is :1 depending arm 39 whose lower end is forked to engage a clutch 40 splined on the chuck shaft 11 and cooperating with a similar clutch face on a worm gear 41 which is mounted to rotate loosely on the chuck shaft 11. Meshing with this gear is a worm 42- secured on an upright shaft 43 whose lower end is journaled in a bearing at the end of a bracket 44 bolted to the frame 14. The upper end of said shaft is journaled in a bearing in a block 45 which is sleeved on the upper chuck shaft 10 and is urged toward the right by a light spring 45,coiled on said shaft.

The object of this spring is to keep a leatheror rubber-tired disk 46 on the playing shaft 43 in close contact with the driving flange 18 on the hub 17 which is fixed on the upper driving shaft 6 by a set screw 47. These two friction gears thus impart constant rotation to the playing shaft 43 and the worm gear 41- and its clutch pins. Now when the kick-off frame is forced to the right by the bellows 33, its arm '39 will throw in the clutch 40 and therefore cause the playing shaft to begin to drive the take up drum 9.

At this point attention may be called to the rod 48. extending from the arm 39 through the frame 14 and provided with a cam 49 pivoted in its end. The purpose of this is to enable the operator. to draw the kick-off frame to the left and lock it there when it is desired to unclutch the drums so that they can be turned by hand by the knurled rims 16. l The speed regulator, by means of which the take up drum is caused to wind up the music sheet at an even rate of speed regardless of the increasing diameter of the roll, comprises means for shifting the disk 46 radially over the surface of the driving flange 18. so as to vary the speed of rotation of the playing shaft 43. This mechanism consists preferably of a worm 50 on the chuck shaft 11 actuating a worm gear 51 on an upright feed screw 52 whose threads engage with a tapped hole in one end of a carrier consisting of a bar secured to the top of a slide rod 54 which is mounted to move vertically in bearings 55. The other end of the carrier bar is forked to engage with a groove in the hub of the disk 46, so that as the carrier rises and falls it will shift the disk radially over the surface of thejriving flange 18. \Vhen a piece of music is being played, the operation of these parts is to shift the disk 46 toward the center of the driving flange, so as to gradually slow down the speed ofthe take up drum as the diameter of the roll increases. When the end of the sheet is reached, and the upper clutch is thrown in to rewind the sheet on the u er drum the 3 IGVGI'SQIHOVQIHBIIC of the lower drum and the shaft 11 brings back the carrier and the disk to their lowest positions. By slacking the set screw 56 in the worm ear 51, the screw shaft can be turned by hand to adjust the position of the disk on the driving fiange.

Turning now to the winding drums and their mounting, it will be seen that they are without flanges at their ends, but are held between broad continuous stationary plates 57-----58 which serve as guides for the paper as it passes from one drum to the other. One of the serious troubles with automatic pianos and other player instruments using perforated sheet music and flanged drums has been that the paper is liable to get out of line, and turn up or tear at the edges, after having been used for some time. By my invention, however, I absolutely .prevent this difiiculty. The entire body of the roll. is automatically and instantly lined up with the path through which it must travel, and a mistake or iisadjustment cannot be made. It insures good tracking and harmless traveling. While the two guide plates are normally stationary, one of them, 58, the left. one in Fig. 1, is held up to its work by light springs 59, so that it can be pulled back by hand when a rollis to be changed.

" lvfcreover, if the roll swells slightly endwise from dampness or eJtremes in temperatures, this left guide plate will yield just enough to accommodate .such change in size. [The two long guide rods 60 attached to the left hand plate 58 and sliding in holes in the end member of the frame 14 holdthis plate absolutely parallel with its right hand mate, which is supported by posts 61 secured to the frame 14.. The friction of these plates on the paper is suflicient to keep it snug against the-tracker bar 62.

It is now in order to describe the mechanism by which the operating bellows 27 28 and 33 are controlled, and how any desired piece of music on. a multiple roll is selected and played. The first holes in the tracker bar (from either end) are allotted to the control of these bellows. In the drawings, I have shown a layout for a music sheet containing fifteen separate pieces of music. A valve block 63 is provided, containing fifteen ports 64, each of which is connected by its tube with its respective opening in the tracker bar. The ports are preferably arranged in a semicircle, and at the center thereof is pivoted a valve-cap 66 having in its under side a passage 67 whose outer end can register with the ports in succession asthe cap is turned to and fro. The valve cap is held tightly to the block by a spring 68, The inner end of the passage 67 is in permanent communication with a passage (39 which is connected by a pipe 70 with a relay valve 71 in the valve chest '72. There are three of these valves in this chest, but as they all alike a description of one will suffice for all. The chamber 73 is kept under suction by its connection with the usual suction pump or bellows (not shown) through the pipe 74. The double faced valve 7.1 is located in a chamber 75 which is open to the atmosphere through the port 76, and connected by the pipe 77 with the kick-off bellows A flexible diaphragm 78 covers the end of the pipe 70 but a small bleed opening 79 in said diaphragm allowsthe suction in chamber 73 to exist in said pipe, so long as the valve remains in the position shown.

Clamped friction tight upon the face of the hub of the valve cap 66'is an arm 80 whose free end engages with a small slide 'alve 81 having a cavity 82 which can be made to connect either the two ports 83 orthose numbered 84 by sliding it one way or the other. One port in each pair connects with its respective hole 83 84 in the tracker bar, while the other connects with its respective relay valve 85 86 in the valve chest 72.

The operation of these parts is as follows. lVhcn the operator wishes to play any given piece, say number eight, he turns the valve cap 66 until its end covers the port so nu1n bered on the valve block. In the continuous music sheet X there are fifteen long holes a", one between every two pieces of music, and each corresponding in position to one of the tracker bar holes connected with said ports 65. The music sheet also has between every tow pieces of music two holes 3 3 corresponding tothe tracker bar holes 88 84' connected with the ports 83 84. The valve cap 66 has frictionally carried with it the arm.80 which shifts the slide valve 81 to the right or the left, as the case may be, until said valve is arrested by the stop pins 87, in which position the cavity 82 will connect the ports 83 or 84, as the case may be. Upon starting the driving motor, by dropping in a coin, in the usual manner, the music sheet will be wound up at playing speed (because the clutch shifting lever is in its mid-posi tion and the playing clutch 40 is engaged) until the interval between that piece and the next is reached, when the two re-v'ind holes 83 84- in the tracker bar will register with thetwo openings ;2 3 in the music sheet, and the one which is rendered operative through the cavity 82 will cause suction to be broken in one of the two relay valares 85 86. This causes a collapse of the corresponding bellows 27 28 which at once tilts the clutch lever 23 and throws in one of the re-winding clutches. The sheet is then.

wound up at re.-winding speed until the interval between the seventh and eighth pieces is reached, where the long opening w in the sheet X registers with the tracker hole connelcted with the port 64 numbered 8 over w ich the valve cap has been placed. The kick-ofi frame returning to its normal position, throws out the re-winding clutch, and lets in the playing clutch 40. The eighth piece will then be played at the proper speed. A small bellows 88 is connected with the bellows (not shown) which trips the coin, and'this bellows 88 has a finger 89 which acts on a button 90 on a small rod 91 to pull said rod to the right and thus shift the slide valve to the right, which is the direction for re-winding opposite to playing. When, therefore, the end of the piece is reached, the. mechanism will re-wind the sheet to the beginning of that piece and will then stop, by the tripping of the coin and the stopping of the driving motor. If it is desired to repeat the piece one has merely to drop in another coin. In this way, any one of the fifteen pieces of music on the continuous or multiple roll can be played at will, by simply setting the valve cap, or an indicator connected therewith, and dropping in the coin to start the motor.

It is desirable to cut off the suction from the main valve chest and other auxiliary valve chests when the music sheet is being re-wound. None of these chests are shown, to avoid too much complication in the drawings. But they are connected with the main suction pipe 74 by a small chest 92 in which is a double beat valve 93, one head of which controls the communication between said main pipe and the pipe 94: leading to the aforesaid main and other valve chests, while the other head of said double beat valve controls communication between said pipe 94and the atmosphere through the port 95. The stem 96 of this valve is engaged by a collar 97 on the rod 36 pivoted to the lever 37 so that when the kick-off frame is pushed back by the tilting of the clutch lever 23 to throw in a re-winding clutch, the collar 97 will pull the valve 93 to the left, shutting ofl the suction and opening the main and other valve chests to the atmosphere during the time that the re-winding is taking place.

A modification of the controlling devices for the re-wind slide valve is shown in Figs. 7, 9 and 10. Instead of the automatic shift of the valve by the small bellows 88, I attach to the valve a thumb piece 98 Working in a slot in a plate 99 on which are inscribed the words and arrows shown. When a lower number-is to be played, or the same piece is to be repeated, the thumb piece is slid to the right. so that the upper re-wind bellows 27 will be collapsed and the lower re-wind shaft 7 will be clutched to the drums. To play, a higher number, the thumb piece is slid to the right, causing the upper shaft 6 to operate the drums. A strip of resilient metal 100 is secured above the valve to hold it tightly to its seat and also act as a friction brake to retain it in the position to which it may be moved. It will thus be seen-that my invention provides means for arranging a plurality of pieces of music in series in a continuous or multiple roll; for selecting and playing any one of said pieces; for compensating by a simple combination of elements for the increasing diameter of the roll on the take up drum, and for'guiding the music sheet from one drum to the other by continuous stationary plates which pre vent the sheet from getting out of line or tearing at the edges.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes I have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by equivalent means. i

What I claim is:

1. In an automatic piano, the combination with a perforated music sheet comprising a plurality of separate pieces arranged in series with intervals between them, of winding drums on which said sheet is mounted, means for operating said drums forward and backward, and means for selecting and playing any particular piece on the sheet comprisingperforations in the in-.

tervaLs between said pieces, and pneumatic mechanism responsive to said last named perforations.

2. In'an automatic piano, the combination with a perforated music sheet comprising a plurality of separate pieces arranged in series, of winding drums on which said multiple sheet is mounted, means for operating said drums forward and backward, means for driving them in each direction at a rapid rate of speed until aparticular piece is reached, and means for driving them at playing speed thereafter and in one direction only.

3. In an automatic piano, the combination with two parallel winding drums, of driving shafts, clutches for connecting said shafts with the spindles of said drums, an indicator capable of being shifted from one to another of a plurality of positions, and means for automatically determining which clutch shall be engaged when said indicator is shifted.

4:. In an automatic piano, the combination with two parallel winding drums,'of a multiple music sheet mounted thereon containing a plurality of pieces of music, an indicator capable of being set by hand for de noting the particular piece 'to be played,

' reached, and for playing it thereafer.

In an automatic piano, the combination w'th t'wo winding drums, of a chuck shaft I connected to each drum, a driving shaft in line with each chuck shaft, clutches for connecting said shafts, a clutch lever engaging both clutches, and means for automatically tilting said lever to throw one or the other of said clutches into engagement.

6. In an automatic piano, the combination with two winding drums, of a chuck shaft connected with each drum, a'driving shaft in line with each-chuck shaft, clutches for connecting said shafts, a T-shaped clutch lever engaging both clutches, a resilient de vice for actuating said lever when it is moved off its central position, and pneumatic devices for tilting said lever in either direction.

7. In an automatic piano, the combination with two winding drums, of a chuck shaft connected with each drum, a driving shaft in line with each chuck shaft, clutches for connecting said shafts, a Tshaped clutch lever engaging both clutches, springs for actuating said lever when moved off its dead center, two bellows for tilting said lever in either direction, and a valve controlling the supply of fluid pressure to said bellows.

8., In an automatic piano, the combination with two winding drums, of a driving shaft for each drum, clutches for connecting said shafts and drums, aclutch lever en aging both clutches, means for autcmatical'li tilt-- ing said lever to throw in one or the other of said clutches, and means for kicking off said lever and returning it to its mid posi tion at a predetermined point in the operation of said drums.

9. In an automatic piano, the combination with two winding drums, of a driving shaft for each drum, clutches for connecting said shafts and drums, a clutch lever engaging both clutches, means-for automatically tilting said lever to throw in one or the other of said clutches, a sliding frame adapted to come into contact with said lever and reti'irn it to its mid position, and pneumatic de vices for actuating said frame at a predetermined point in the operation of said drums.

' 10. In an automatic piano, the combination with two winding drums, of a driving shaft for each drum, clutches for connecting said shafts and drums, a clutch lever on gaging both clutches, means for automatically tilting said lever to throw in one or the other of said clutches, a sliding frame adapted to come into contact with said lever and return it to its mid position, and pneumatic devices for actuating said frame at a predetermined point-in the operation of said drums, and a valve controlling the supply of fluid to said devices and capable of being set at different positions to vary the point in the operation of said drums when said pneumatic devicesshall operate.

11. In an automatic piano, the combination with two winding drums, of a driving shaft for each drum, clutches for connecting said shafts and drums, a clutch lever engaging both clutches, means for automatically tilting said lever to throw one or the other of said clutches into engagement, a sliding frame for coming in contact with said lever and returning it to its mid position, a lever connected, to said frame, a bellows for actuating said lever, and a valve for controlling the supply of fluid pressure to said bellows, said valve being capable of adjustment to different positions to vary the point in the operation of said drums when said clutch lever shall be returned.

12. In an automatic piano, the combina tion with two winding drums, of two driving shafts rotating in opposite directions, a clutch on each shaft for connecting it to its drum, a lever engaging both clutches, means for automatically tilting said lever to throw in one or the other of said clutches, a sliding frame for forcing back said lever to its mid position, a playing shaft driven from one of said driving shafts, and means for connecting said playing shaft to the take up drum when said frame kicks off-the clutch lever.

13. In an automatic piano, the combination with two winding drums, of two driving shafts rotating in opposite directions, a clutch on each shaft for connecting it to its drum, means for throwing in one or the other of said clutches, means for throwing out the engaged clutch at a predetermined point in the operation of said drums, a playing shaft geared to one of said drivin shafts, and means for automatically con necting said playing shaft with the take up drum when the clutch is thrown out of engagement.

I I. In an automatic piano, the combinawith two winding drums, of two driving shafts rotating in opposite directions, a clutch for connecting each shaft with its drum, a lever engaging both of said clutches,

pneumatic means for throwing in one or the other of said clutches, pneumatic means for- -llC-l(l11g off said clutch, a playing shaft driven from one of said driving shafts, a.

clutch for connecting said playing shaft with the take up drum, and means for automatically throwing in said last named clutch when the aforesaid clutch is kicked off.

15. In an automatic piano, the combination with two winding drums, ofitwo driving shafts, clutches for connecting said drums and shafts, a flange on 'one shaft, a disk frictionally engaging therewith, playing shaft on which said disk is mounted, a gear looselysleeved on the shaft of the take up drum, and operatively connected with said playing shaft, a clutch for connecting said gear with said take up drum shaft, and means the face of the flange.

16. In an automatic piano, the combination with two winding drums, of two driving shafts, clutches for connecting said drums and shafts, a flange on one shaft, a disk frictionally engaging therewith, a playing shaft on which said disk is mounted, a gear loosely sleeved on the shaft of the take up drum, and operatively connected with said playing shaft, a clutch for connecting said gear with said take up drum shaft, and means for radially shifting said disk over the face of the flange comprising a carrier engaging the hub of said disk, a feed screw engaging with a tapped hole in said carrier, and worm gearing whereby the shaft of the take up drum rotates said feed screw.

17. In an automatic piano provided with a tracker bar, the combination with a valve block having a plurality of ports, each connected with a hole in the tracker bar, of a valve cap having a passage adapted to register with each port in succession, a relayvalve in' constant communication with the for radially shifting said disk over passage in said valve cap, pneumatic devices controlled by said relay valve, re-winding devices for the music sheet, controlled by said pneumatic devices, and a music sheet having a plurality of pieces arranged in series, with a perforation between each two of said pieces corresponding with one of the holes in said tracker bar connected to said ports.

18. In an automatic piano provided with a tracker bar, the combination with a valve block having a plurality of ports, each con-. nected to a hole in said tracker bar, a valve cap having a passage adapted to register with said ports in succession, a relay valve in constant communication with the passage in said cap, a slide valve controlling two pairs of ports, one port in each pair being connected to a hole in said tracker bar, an arm frictionally connected to said valve cap for shifting said slide valve, and relay valves connected to the other ports in said pairs.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RUSSELL I. WILOOX.

Witnesses:

HENRIETTA J. SEHMITZ, WM. J. MORGAN. 

